


Consequences

by CG07



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU of Arrow 4x15, Barry already came back from Earth 2, Betrayed Barry, Gen, Guilty Joe, Guilty Oliver, Kidnapped Barry, League of Assasins/Vandal Savage/HIVE alliance, Powerful Barry, Tortured Barry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6170320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CG07/pseuds/CG07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Choices made, whether bad or good, follow you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another.”<br/>― J.E.B. Spredemann, An Unforgivable Secret </p><p>Barry is betrayed by the people he trusted most, and it leads to the most torturous and heart-breaking experience of his life. Along with this comes revelations about himself and his powers that he never fathomed. </p><p>The choice of two men leads to a chain of events no one could have anticipated, and no one is safe from the fallback of the decision made.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Impossible Choice

Oliver had just finished cleaning out what was left of his campaign headquarters. Seeing the disappointed look of his workers, volunteers, even Alex, killed him. Believe it or not he was just as disappointed as they were. He was starting to believe he had an actual shot at making changes to Star City and helping its citizens the right way. What was worse, Felicity still wasn’t talking to him, and William still wasn’t returned. This was without a doubt the worst week of his life.  
The phone in his pocket started buzzing, Oliver quickly took it out and saw the tell-tale blocked number.

“Where’s William?” Oliver asked in lieu of a ‘hello’.

“Good morning to you too.” Darhk greeted. “That was quite a speech you gave last night. Very gracious, my wife particularly enjoyed it. A much better sight for my evenings instead of your green speckled friend or that X-men wanna be. I mean come on, yellow and green? Do these people know nothing about stealth?”

“Cut the crap Darhk,” Oliver snarled, “I did as you asked, now I want my son back!”

“Temper, temper Oliver,” Darhk chided on the phone. “That’s what got you into this mess in the first place. I have to admit, it was a nice touch trying to fight magic with magic. But it didn’t work, you know you should really find some new friends.”

“Where the hell is my son!” Oliver demanded.

“He’s safe for now, but now my price just went up.” Darhk continued. “Tell me…how much is your son’s life really worth to you?”

“Is that what this is about? Money?” Oliver said, “Look whatever it is, whatever price you want I’ll pay it. Just let William go.”

Darhk had the audacity to laugh at him. “We both know money isn’t what I want. But since you’ve mentioned it there is one thing you could do for me.”

“Just get to the point Darhk.” Oliver snapped, “I’ve already dropped out of the race. What more could you possibly want?”

“I acquired a new friend recently and he would just love to meet one of yours.” Darhk said, “Actually it’s a friend of a friend. Arrow is good friends with the Flash am I right?”

Oliver furrowed his brow in confusion, not sure where he was going with this. Before he could respond Darhk continued on.

“Anyhoo, I’ll do you a solid. If your pal the Arrow can deliver the Flash to me, I will happily send William on his merry way and we can forget any of this ever happened. As an added bonus, I’ll get you some help from CCPD’s finest to help you make that happen.”

“I expect it to be done tonight.” He continued. “Talk to you later buddy.”

He hung up without letting Oliver say another word. Oliver looked at the phone in disbelief, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Felicity decided at that moment to roll in.

“I just ran into Alex.” She said, “Sucks when you can’t tell the truth doesn’t it?”

She paused, when she finally looked at his face. Something was wrong.

“Did Darhk call you? Is it about William?”

Oliver gave no indication that he heard her. Several emotions kept crossing his face, fear being the most evident.

“Oliver what was it?” Felicity asked, actually starting to feel afraid. “What did he want?”

“He wants Barry.”

* * *

 

Joe was sitting at his kitchen table reading the newspaper. He sipped his coffee slowly, savoring the taste in his mouth. The bright rays of the early morning sun hit his windows just right, filling the living room and kitchen with brightness.

He wanted to enjoy the moment of peace he had right now. Things had been rough for the last couple of weeks, on everybody. He had decided to plan another family fun night. Barry and Wally got off on a rocky start, but they were slowly warming up to each other. It warmed his heart to see all of his children getting along with each other.

His phone started vibrating in his pocket, without a second thought he answered it without looking at the caller id.

“West.” He answered shortly.

“Hello Detective.” A bright, cheery voice he didn’t recognize. “How are you liking the coffee?”

Joe sat up straighter in his chair. “Who is this?”

“Oh, where are my manners?” the voice chastised himself. “Damien Darhk. You don’t really know me, but I certainly know you, and we’re going to get to know each other well real soon. Why don’t you check your messages?”

Joe was confused and his instincts were on high alert, he did as he was told and check his inbox. His heart stopped at what he saw.

It was Wally, tied up and gagged in a dark room, he was blindfolded as well.

Joe put the phone back to his ear. “What the hell is this?!”

“This is incentive.” Darhk said matter-of-factly. “I need you to do me a little favor. One favor and your boy is back safe and sound.”

“What the hell do you want?” Joe demanded, barely containing the rage in his voice.

“What I want?” Damien reiterated, “I want the Flash…and you’re going to help me get him.”

“You’re out of your damn mind if you think that I’m going to help you!” Joe snapped.

“Oh, but you are.” Damien stated. A second later a gunshot was heard followed by a loud muffled scream.

Joe stood up in his chair scraping the floor and falling to a clatter.

“Stop!” Joe said, desperation sinking into his voice, “Just stop!”

“That was a warning shot.” Damien said, “The next bullet goes through his skull. I want the Flash, and I want him in my possession by tonight. I have eyes and ears everywhere Detective. I don’t want to catch you trying to warn your speedy little friend, if you do the deal’s off and you’re going to have to pick a box for your son to be buried in. Maybe you can use the one you picked for his mother.”

Damien continued, “You are not to contact anybody today, especially not your precinct. In fact, you’ve already called in sick. I expect you to call Oliver Queen in an hour, he is the only person that you can speak to today. You guys will go over the details about how you plan on catching the Flash.”

Joe’s grip tightened on the phone, shaking from all the rage he was feeling.

“Now as far as your daughter is concerned, she’ll be cooperating as well.”

Joe’s heart stopped at the mention of his daughter. “You stay the hell away from her!”

A gunshot was his response, there was no screaming this time.

“Wally!” he cried out.

“Not in the position to make demands Detective.” Darhk said, “I just shot into the wall above your son’s head. Another outburst like that and your son gets a bullet in the knee. Not life-threatening, but very painful. As I was saying before your rudely interrupted me, your daughter, Iris I believe her name is, will be assisting you. She is the leading journalist on all things involving the Flash, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to help, especially since I sent her a copy of this video ten minutes ago.”

“You’re a sick son of a bitch.” Joe whispered, unable to believe this was actually happening to him.

“Why thank you Joe.” Darhk beamed, “Can I call you Joe? Just for that I won’t shoot your son this time. As I’ve said, you can’t contact anybody today and just to be sure you don’t try, there’s a package near the Ficus on your porch, there are two encrypted burner phones, one for you and your daughter, they’re monitored at all times, and you can only use them to contact Oliver Queen. The number’s been programmed already. Now the three of you can come up with a plan to give me the Flash and I’ll give you your respective sons back. Is that understood?”

At no answer, Darhk prompted, “I’m waiting for the magic words detective.”

He was only met with silence. “If you don’t answer in the next 3 seconds your son is dead.”

“Yes, I understand.” Joe ground out.

“That wasn’t so hard was it?” Darhk said. “Now to be clear you're going to deliver the Flash to me correct?”

Joe couldn't give verbal confirmation, he was essentially choosing between his sons.

"Wally," Darhk's voice sounded far away, like he didn't have the receiver. "Is there anything you would like to say to your father?"

"D-Dad?" Wally sounded so young. Joe's heart felt like it was being squeezed from the inside.

"Son? Listen to me," Joe said, "I'm going to get you out, I promise. I promise I'll get you back alright, just hold on!"

"Ah, ah, ah." Damien was back on the phone, "The only way to keep that promise is to give me the Flash. Now do we have a deal?"

Joe put a shaking hand to his mouth, trying to reign in his emotions. In as steady a voice he could he answered.

"Yes...we have a deal."

The conversation ended with an audible click

 


	2. A Decision Made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, wow! I was not expecting such a huge response! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story, and a special thank you to those who left comments and kudos! I was surprised to hear how other people had thought about this situation before!
> 
> So this is more of a filler chapter, so not a lot of action going on here, but I'll make up for it in the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Iris burst through the door the minute Joe’s conversation ended, “Dad! Somethings happened to Wally!”

“I know,” Joe held up his hand to stop her, “I just got the same message.”

“We need to call Barry!” She said reaching for his phone. “As soon as I got the message my phone short circuited.”

“No!” Joe stepped out to stop Iris. “We can’t call anybody with our phones, he has them tapped. He says if we try to contact anybody he’ll kill Wally.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Iris asked, “What does he want from us?”

“He said…he said he wanted the Flash.” Joe confessed, walking to the porch. “If we give him the Flash, then he’ll give us Wally back.”

                “The Flash?” Iris was incredulous, “Are you-

Joe put a finger to his lips and gestured for her to follow him, she walked out the door and followed her father walking from their porch to the sidewalk.

“Dad what’s going on?” she asked, as Joe ripped open the package in his hands and pulled out the phone inside.

“He’s got our house bugged.” Joe explained, “He said his name was Damien Darhk, it doesn’t ring any bells so he’s either new, or really good.”

                “You said he wanted the Flash.” Iris emphasized, “What does Barry have to do with any of this?”

“I don’t know,” Joe admitted, “All I know is that we have tonight to make the trade or Wally dies.”

“What are we going to do?” Iris’ eyes widened, “You really want to hand Barry over to him?”

“Of course I don’t!” Joe said, losing control, “You honestly think I would ever want to endanger Barry that way!”

Before their argument could escalate, the phone in Joe’s hand started ringing. Joe put the phone to his ear answering.

                “Queen.”

“Detective West,” Oliver greeted, “Has someone named Darhk contacted you.”

                “He has my son.” Joe got to the point.

“He’s got Barry already?” Oliver asked.

“No, I’m talking about Wally,” Joe said. “He’s my other son, we just found out about him on Christmas.

“I’m so sorry.” Oliver said, Joe’s heart lightened when he heard the sincerity of Oliver’s tone, but only by a fraction. He still didn’t trust Queen

 Iris took the phone out Joe’s hand and put it on speaker. “Oliver please tell me you have a plan right now.”

                “I’m working on it.” Oliver said, “Have you contacted the Flash yet?”

“We can’t,” Joe grit out, “Darhk told us we couldn’t contact anybody but you today.”

                “Dammit.” Oliver cured, “I tried calling him as soon as Darhk got off the phone, but my phone suddenly died, same with Felicity’s.”

                “So get someone from your team to do it.” Joe snapped.

“We can’t,” Oliver said patiently, “Darhk is watching our every move, if we try to contact B- _him_ in any way he’s going to figure out who the Flash is.”

                “He’ll find out anyway if we hand him over to Darhk.” Joe said.

There was a moment of silence once he said that. Iris looked between the phone and her father in disbelief.

                “We’re not actually going to do it are we? We’re not seriously handing him over to that maniac?”

                “Nobody wants to do that Iris.” Oliver said, but he didn't actually say that he wasn't considering it.

“Isn’t there anyway someone from your-

                “Watch what you say.” Oliver warned, interrupting Iris. “He could be listening in on our conversation right now, and we really shouldn’t be naming names here.”

“Isn’t there some way that…the Arrow could contact him?” Joe asked.

“I-I just found out his base was compromised.” Oliver explained.

“What do you mean compromised?”

                “It was destroyed, all the tech, the gadgets…completely trashed.” Oliver said, “Every single person I’ve been in contact with has had problems with their phones and laptops.”

                “It sounds like he’s already figured out your secret.” Joe said.

“No.” Oliver assured, “Believe me, if Darhk had found out, he would have done something a lot more drastic. It's obvious he's got help.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” Iris demanded. “Lure the Flash into a trap?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what we’re supposed to do.” Oliver said, coming to a horrifying conclusion.

                “What are you talking about?” Joe was confused.

“He wants us to trap him, betray him.” Oliver said, “It’s why he doesn’t want us to contact anybody else today. So we don’t warn the Flash about what’s coming. He actually wants us to choose between him and our sons.”

                “So what’s the Arrow’s plan going to be now?” Iris asked.

“You let me worry about that,” Oliver said, “In the meantime do you have anything that could ‘subdue’ the Flash?”

                “STAR labs has something,” Joe butt in, not wanting to prolong this conversation.

“Get it.” Oliver ordered, “The Arrow team is on their way to Central, they’ll have a plan. I promise you that.”

He hung up and Iris looked at her dad. “Are we really doing this?”

“What choice do we have?” Joe asked, “If we don’t Wally dies, and I’m not going to fail him a second time.”

                “What about Barry?” Iris asked.

“He can protect himself.” Joe insisted, “And I promise we won’t hand him over, but we need to make Darhk think we would.”

                “Dad.” Iris began.

“Please Iris,” Joe beseeched, “I need you with me on this. I can’t save Wally by myself.”

                “At what cost Dad? Barry?”

“I promise we will find a way to save him,” Joe promised, “So please help me save them both.”

                Iris gave a long sigh, but nodded her assent. Joe pulled her in a hug.

“We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

                Barry frowned when he got Joe’s voicemail for the fifth time that day, he had been trying to call him for the last two hours but got no response. He’d tried the same with Iris, but her phone was out of service. She had complained to him the night before that she forgot to pay her bill, so he didn’t think much of it.

When he heard from Captain Singh that Joe had called in sick, he was confused. He seemed fine the night before, but Barry figured maybe Joe ate something from dinner that didn’t sit well with him. He would have checked on him sooner, but he had so many backlogged cases, he barely had time to breathe. It was close to his lunch hour and he decided to stop by the deli that had the chicken soup he loved so much. He figured it would be a nice surprise for Joe.

Ten minutes later with the soup in hand, he walked through the doorway of the West house announcing his arrival, when he didn’t receive a response he went to the living room. Joe was sitting on the couch seeming to stare off into space.

                “Joe? Are you okay?”

Joe jolted at Barry’s voice, putting a hand to his chest. “Barry! You scared me!”

                “Sorry.” Barry laughed. “Singh told me you had called in sick. Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah,” Joe waved his hand dismissively, “It’s just a stomach thing. I’ll be good as new as tomorrow.”

Barry held up the bag. “I brought soup, it’s from your favorite deli.”

Joe reluctantly took the bag, “Thank you Barry, that’s really thoughtful of you.”

Barry could have sworn he saw Joe’s eyes misting over, but Joe quickly wiped at his eyes.

“Are you sure everything is okay Joe?” he asked.

                “Yeah everything’s fine. I promise.” Joe reassured him.

“Okay, have you talked to Iris?” Barry asked, making himself comfortable on the couch. “I tried calling her, but it keeps saying her phone’s out of service.”

                “Oh yeah.” Joe said, “I talked to her an hour ago, she used a co-worker’s phone. She says she’ll get that paid tomorrow.”

                “Oh good. I’ve still got fifty minutes left to my lunch hour. Do you want some company?”

“You sure you got no Flash business to take care of?” Joe asked.

                “It’s been surprisingly quiet.” Barry said, “I’m not complaining though, so what do you say?”

Joe grinned, trying not to make it seemed too forced.

                “I say, let’s see what’s on t.v.”

 

* * *

 

Iris was nervous walking down the hallways of STAR labs. She had done it a thousand times before, but she had never felt so heavy before. Just last month Caitlin had taken her on tour and showed her exactly how they were planning to take down Zoom. Unfortunately, that plan accomplished nothing, but resulting in Barry breaking his back. She still had nightmares about that night.

Caitlin had showed her where they kept the vials of the drug Cisco had developed to subdue Zoom. He said it would work on any speedster, including Barry. She found the cabinet she was looking for, and with shaking hands she reached out and grabbed four of the vials.

                “Iris!”

Iris turned so quickly she almost got a whiplash.

“Caitlin.” She breathed, “You scared me.”

                “Sorry about that.” Caitlin said sheepishly, “I didn’t mean to. What are you doing here?”

“Um-looking for you!” Iris said.

                “For me?” Caitlin was confused, “Why?”

“I just wanted to see how you were.” Iris said, stepping closer. “How are you doing? After everything that’s happened?”

                Caitlin gave a wan smile, “I’m doing fine. Ok, not fine but better. I’m just taking it day by day.”

“I’m sorry.” Iris admitted. “But I just want you to know I’m here if you need me.”

                “I appreciate that. I do.”

“I should get going.” Iris said, “My new editor is a pain in the ass and he’s really strict with our breaks.”

                “Oh no problem.” Caitlin waved her off, “Go, go!”

Iris couldn’t get out of there fast enough. She wasn’t sure she could keep her tears at bay for much longer.

* * *

 

                “Are you sure about this?” Dig asked Oliver as he was finishing packing his gear into a duffel.

“No, but I don’t have any other choice.” Oliver said, “You remember the plan?”

                Dig nodded, “Once you have the boys, wait follow the tracker in Barry’s suit, compromise whatever they’ve got him in and get him out.”

                “Good.” Oliver affirmed, “Thea and Laurel ready?”

“Yeah, it’s too bad Vixen couldn’t stay.” Dig said.

“She had obligations to her own city.” Oliver said, “I couldn’t ask her to put them on hold for me.”

                “Oliver I got to tell you, this plan…I don’t like it.” Dig folded his arms. “There’s too many things that could go wrong. What’s worse, Barry’s the one who’s going to suffer if it goes south.”

                “It’ll work Dig.” Oliver said tightly, “Are you coming or not?”

Dig sighed heavily, “I’ll always stand with you Oliver. You know that.”

Oliver’s face softened, “Thank you John. You go on, I need to say good-bye to Felicity.”

Dig nodded and walked out of the loft. Oliver walked up the stairs where Felicity was in bed.

“Everything is set up with the jet.” Felicity said, “Don’t worry, the pilot’s an ex-ARGUS agent, he’s vouched by Lyla, he won’t ask questions.”

                “That’s one hell of a good-bye.” Oliver said wanting to make things lighter. Felicity answered with a flat look.

                “I’m helping you betray one of our best friends Ollie.” She said. “Excuse me for not being more upbeat.”

                “It’s going to work out Felicity.” Oliver said.

“What if it doesn’t?” Felicity asked. “What if God forbid, something goes wrong and Darhk actually gets away with Barry? If something horrible happens to him, to _any_ of them that’s on us.”

                “Nothing is going to happen.” Oliver said. “I won’t let it.”

“I really hope you’re right.” Felicity whispered.

Oliver pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I love you. I’ll see you when I get home. You can meet William then."

Oliver walked out, not yet realizing just how much things were going to change.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a question for all of you. If you were in Barry's situation, how would you feel? How do you think Barry would feel. I'm still trying to figure out his response! 
> 
> On another note, so disappointed we have to wait two weeks for DC's Legends to be back! I can't believe Len left Mick behind. I refuse to believe he killed him, I don't think he would do that. I'm still trying to figure out how the legends fit into this story. But fear not, I will figure it out!


	3. Reprucussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I stayed up WAY later than I should have. But I really wanted to get this chapter up. Sorry for any mistakes that were made. I hope you like this! I'll probably come back and edit it later. Thanks so much for all the support you've given me.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

“This is nice.” Barry said, “It’s been awhile since we’ve just spent time together between the two of us.”

                “Yeah it has,” Joe agreed, realizing that it really had been awhile since they had spent time together. They spent the better part of Barry’s lunch hour watching the History channel. Coming to terms with his decision, Joe had been quiet, he wasn’t sure how to proceed with Barry. A large part had wanted to confess everything to him and tell him what was going on, but when Barry left to get the bowls for the soup, the burner phone pinged and he saw a message from Darhk.

                _Remember what I said._

Joe shoved the phone into his pocket before Barry could see it. They spent the remainder of their time reminiscing their past, how Joe tried to make an outdoorsman out of him, taking him on camping and fishing trips. Barry never really took to the outdoors, and would always wind up spouting fandom facts about the animal and plant life they were surrounded by. They weren’t conventional trips, but they always enjoyed themselves.

The more they were talking and enjoying themselves, the harder it got for Joe to maintain his composure. What he was about to do was unforgivable, but the Arrow said he would find a way to save them both and Joe was banking on that. He just wanted Barry to know how much he loved him.

“You got any dinner plans?” Joe asked out of the blue.

Barry was thrown by the question, “Nothing special why?”

He was probably going to get something from Big Belly while patrolling.

                “I was thinking of cooking my grandmother’s Spicy Louisiana gumbo tonight.” Joe said, in that knowing voice.

Barry sat up straighter. It had been years since Joe had made that gumbo, he was the only person that his grandmother had passed down the recipe too. It was Barry’s absolute favorite meal.

                “Seriously?” Barry asked, “Don’t tease me with that gumbo Joe, you haven’t made that since before my coma.”

“Well, things have been crazy lately.” Joe said, “And I just want a nice normal family meal with my kids. We could have a picnic Central City Park, sit at our usual bench and enjoy the fresh air, watch the sunset.”

                “That…sounds really nice.” Barry said, “Did someone die?”

Joe’s laugh was nearly hysterical, if only Barry knew how true that situation was. “Very funny Bear.”

                Barry raised his arms in defense, “I had to ask, do you want me to bring you anything?”

“Just your empty stomach.” Joe joked.

                “Be careful what you wish for Joe.” Barry said, “Is Wally coming too?”

Joe’s face almost fell but he managed to keep it steady, “No, he’s got plans with some friends in Coast City.”

                “Too bad.” Barry said, “His loss.”

                “Guess you’ll have to tell him when you see him.” Joe chuckled.

Barry’s phone started vibrating. It was Singh, demanding to know where he was.

“It’s the cap.” Barry said putting his phone back. “I’m late. Again.”

                “Feel free to play up my illness.” Joe said. “He’ll go easy on you.”

Barry smiled at the joke, “You’re sure you don’t need anything else?”

                “Don’t worry about it Barry. I’ll be good as new soon enough.” Joe said, “Don’t forget dinner starts at 6. Just meet me and Iris at the park, don’t be late.”

“Oh believe me,” Barry said, “I’m definitely not going to miss out on your gumbo.”

                “Iris said she was going to bake her homemade Devil’s food brownies.” Joe enticed.

Iris wasn’t the best cook, but if there was one thing she could do well it was bake brownies. She made them from scratch and from a recipe given to her by her great-aunt. They were also Barry’s favorite dessert.

                “Yeah, trust me I’m not going to be late.” Barry said, “Not for that.”

Joe chuckled and patted him on the back. “Get going kid, you don’t want Singh to chew you out again. I’m not going to be there to save you this time.”

                “Bye Joe, see you tonight.” Barry said, he was tensing to run out, but Joe stopped him.

“I’ll walk you out.” Joe said, grabbing Barry’s arm and leading him to the porch. Barry was bewildered but humored him.

Joe closed the door once Barry was out of sight, and slid to the floor. He couldn’t keep the tears back any longer.

The phone in his pocket started buzzing again. Joe reluctantly took it out of his pocket and saw another message popping up.

                _Good work. Keep it up and your so will be back before bedtime._

More than anything, Joe wanted to throw that phone across the room, to find this man and show him exactly how he felt. But as long as he had Wally, he was helpless to do anything. He prayed to God that Barry would forgive him.

 

* * *

 

                “We should be landing in Central in the next two hours.” Vin, the pilot had said.

Oliver wasn’t paying much attention; he was still trying to go through every scenario in his head. The closer they were to Central City, the more anxious he became about Barry. He couldn’t believe it himself that he was going to hand Barry over to one of the most evil men he had ever come to face. But he was confident that his plan would work. Joe would deliver Barry to him, Oliver would then embed a tracer into his skin. When Damien would hand over their sons and drive away; Dig, Thea, and Laurel would follow him on their motorcycles. Dig would blow out the tires, Thea would use the magnet arrow and EMP to incapacitate their weapons and vehicles. Laurel would keep them down with one of her screams. She and Cisco had been working on a new setting that would literally render men unconscious with her scream. Once the men were taken care of, they would grab Barry and run.

It was a good plan, a solid one. He knew that Damien would be in a separate car than Barry, so he shouldn’t be an issue. In spite of that, the knot in Oliver’s stomach still wouldn’t go away. It didn’t matter how logical his choice was, or how certain he believed his plan would work. He was betraying a friend, a good friend, and a really good person. He knew for a fact that if told the situation Barry would understand, he was counting on that. Once William and Wally were safe, Dig, Thea, and Laurel would get him back and Oliver would beg his forgiveness, he would do whatever it took to make things right.

 

* * *

 

                “Allen, you’re late again.” Singh barked. Barry to his credit ducked his head in shame.

“Sorry Captain.” Barry said, “I just wanted to make sure Joe was okay.”

                Singh’s eyes softened at the mention of Joe, “How is he?”

“He says he’ll be back tomorrow.” Barry said, but Singh could see the unease on Barry’s face.

                “But.” He prompted.

“I don’t know.” Barry admitted, “Seems like there’s something wrong.”

                “How do you know that?” Singh pressed.

“He seemed…guarded, and distant.” Barry explained. “But he wouldn’t tell me why.”

Singh pondered Barry’s words, “If he comes in tomorrow, I’ll talk to him. He might be reluctant because you’re his son, he might talk to me. Maybe I'll give him a call tonight.”

Barry shook his head, "He told me he dropped his phone in the sink while it was plugged up with water. He's getting it replaced right now."

"Alright then I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Barry smiled in gratitude, “Thanks Captain.”

                “Alright, get back to work Allen.” Singh ordered gruffly, “You’ve wasted enough time today.”

Barry smiled fondly knowing how Singh was about appearances, and didn’t want anyone knowing he actually had a heart. He did as he was told, maybe he could get Joe to talk during dinner. He was certainly looking forward to the gumbo.

                The Arrow team made it’s landing with 45 minutes to spare. The first thing Oliver did was pick up his phone to send Darhk a message.

                We’re here.

A minute later, he received another message..

                Ferris Pier. 8 pm.

The second thing he did was call Joe.

                “Detective West, we’re in Central. Did you get the text?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Joe said roughly. “I’m talking to Iris right now.”

                “Did you find what we needed?” Oliver asked.

“…yeah, we got it.” Joe said.

“It’s going to be fine.” Oliver assured him, “We’re getting them back. ALL of them.”

                “I really hope you’re right.” Joe said. “I’ll meet you at the pier.”

Oliver hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply. He turned to the others who were boarding off of the plane.

                “Suit up.” He ordered them. “We have two hours, and we need to make sure that we are absolutely prepared for the plan.”

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” Thea said in a low voice.

                “We’re getting him back.” Laurel said, “We’re not actually handing him over to Darhk.”

“He doesn’t know that.” Thea protested.

                “He’ll understand,” Dig said throwing in his two cents. “As long as we get him back things will be fine.”

“Dig’s right.” Oliver agreed. “When we’re able to tell him, Barry will understand.”

 

* * *

 

Joe made Iris come with him to the car, he didn’t want Damien Darhk to know about their plan, or Barry’s identity. He placed the gumbo in the backseat and Iris got into the passenger’s side of his car.

                “Did you get them?” Joe asked, quietly.

Iris held out three vials. “I already put one of them in my brownies. Cisco never said how long he would be out for, so we should probably give him another in his gumbo.”

Joe reluctantly took the bottles from her hand.

“Will he have his suit with him?” Iris asked, “How are we going to get that on him?”

                “He wears it under his clothes.” Joe explained.”

“I hate this Dad.” Iris said. “Do you think he will forgive us?”

“I’m sure he will baby.” Joe said, “If there’s anything Barry is capable of, it’s seeing the best in people even when they’re at their worst.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence, and once they got to the park, they saw Barry at their usual bench. He waved at them when he saw their car.

Iris put on the biggest smile she could manage. “Do my eyes deceive me or is Barry Allen actually early?”

“It’s Joe’s gumbo.” Barry said, “There’s no way I’m going to be late for that. Or your brownies.”

“Well just for that.” She held the plate out to him, “You can have one before dinner.”

Barry didn’t need to be told twice, he yanked that brownie from the plate and crammed it in his mouth before Iris could finish her sentence.

“Oh my god.” Barry moaned. “These are so good!”

“Hey save room for the gumbo!” Joe called out, spooning some onto a bowl. When Barry’s back was turned, Joe poured one of the vials into his bowl.

“Here you go Barry.” Joe said, “Dig in.”

Barry ate the food with a gusto that was even legendary for a speedster. He finished his first and second bowls in minutes, by his third bowl something wasn’t right. He pushed his bowl away.

“Barry.” Iris’s voice sounded so far away. “Barry are you okay?”

“G’ys” He slurred. “I-I don’ feel”

His knees gave way and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud, before he lost consciousness he could hear Joe’s voice.

                “I’m sorry son.” 

* * *

 

Oliver wouldn’t admit it but he was nervous. He was in full Arrow gear, waiting for Joe at the pier. He kept shifting from one foot to the other, and had to stop himself from pacing.

At 7:55, Oliver could see headlights from a car coming from the front. He immediately recognized it as Joe West’s.

He walked down to meet him halfway, he greeted him when Joe stepped out.

                “Detective.” Oliver nodded.

“Arrow.” Joe said.

Oliver looked into the car and saw Barry in full Flash regalia, in the back seat.

                “Is he-

“STAR labs developed a serum to take down speedsters.” Joe explained. “We gave him to and he’s been out for the last two hours.”

Oliver nodded his understanding. “Are there others?”

Joe pulled out the two vials from his coat pocket. He looked around, “So where is this guy?”

                “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” A cheery voice piped out from behind them.

Oliver and Joe turned so quickly they almost got whiplashed, Oliver strung an arrow and held it at the ready. Damien Darhk stood in all his glory, with a team of HIVE soldiers flanking his sides.

                “I know you guys think I’m this evil super-villian.” Darhk commented, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “I figure why not go with it? Sooo…do you have what I asked for.”

“He’s in the car.” Oliver answered in his distorted voice.

Damien gestured with his hand. “If you please.”

Gritting his teeth, Oliver went to Joe’s passenger side and eased Barry over his shoulder.

                “I’m sorry Barry.” He whispered in his ear.

He stood up and walked to Damien, he stopped within five feet of him. Darhk gestured the group of thugs behind him, who had a gurney ready.

“Just put him on there.” Damien said, never losing the cheerful tone in his voice.

                “Where are the boys?” Oliver demanded.

“Of course, of course.” Darhk clapped his hands together. He gestured to the car behind him and the lights turned on inside, showing two figures in the car with burlap sacks over their heads. They seemed to be struggling in their bonds.

Joe was about to run towards the car, but Damien stopped him with his powers.

                “Ah, ah, ah Detective...” Darhk said, “There they are as promised. Now for my end of the deal.”

With great reluctance, Oliver set Barry down onto the gurney, where they proceeded to strap him down and wheel him away onto an eighteen-wheeler truck.

“Well it’s been a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen.” Darhk said, “Arrow-or Green Arrow as you now call yourself, it’s nice to see you again, Detective a pleasure meeting you. You have made my friend a very happy camper. Let’s do this again sometime yeah?”

He turned back and started walking towards his private car, and once he was out of sight, both Oliver and Joe rushed to the car that held their sons. Oliver ripped his car open and yanked the bag from their heads, only to find that it wasn’t their sons.

                “That son of a bitch.” Oliver snarled, Darhk had simply taken two of his men and tied them up and gagged them. He immediately ran to his bike and revved it to life.

Joe grabbed the nearest soldier and started shaking him. “Where the hell is my son!”

                “Dig, Thea, Laurel.” Oliver growled in his earpiece, speeding towards the truck. “Darhk lied. It’s a trick, follow the tracer I put and get Barry back! I’m on my way!”

He still had the truck in his sights and was breaking every traffic law to get there in time. Darhk’s men were not dettered, they immediately started shooting at him.

Dig, and Laurel flanked Oliver on his sides, Thea stood up from behind and shot two arrows, the magnetic one to attract their weapons and the EMP on one of their tires. Both arrows went off at the exact same time, the guns were taken from the hands of the HIVE soldiers, and the truck suddenly shut down.

                “Careful.” Oliver cried out, “Barry’s still in there.”

The HIVE soldiers jumped from the back, ready to fight. The Arrow team was ready for them.

Thea, Laurel and Dig were keeping them busy, and Oliver was rushing to get to Barry. HIVE came at him in all directions, and Oliver kept fighting them off.

“Laurel.” Oliver grunted as he punched another soldier to the ground, “Now would probably be a good time to try out that scream.”

                Laurel nodded, “Cover your ears!”

Thea, Dig, and Oliver did as she said, and plugged their ears, but they could still hear her piercing cry. Within seconds, every soldier had fallen to the ground.

“Okay, OW.” Thea said, “We can congratulate Cisco on that one.”

Oliver rushed to the truck, throwing the doors open.

                “Is he okay?” Dig asked.

Oliver didn’t answer, he was at a complete loss of words.

“Ollie?” Thea asked.

                “He’s not here.” Oliver whispered to himself, then yelled out for everyone to hear. “HE’S NOT HERE!”

Barry was gone.


	4. Aftermath

“What the hell happened?” Joe demanded harshly. “You said you had everything under control and now I’ve lost both my sons!”

“I understand your frustration detective.” Oliver said.

They were still at Ferris Pier, the two HIVE soldiers disguised as their sons were currently tied up ad in the trunk of Joe’s car. Both men were in their late 30’s and one stood out at 4 feet even, which explained how they were able to pose him off as William.

                “I should’ve known better than to trust you!” Joe shouted, “From day one I warned Barry about you, that being involved with you would only bring trouble and look where we are now!”

“Ok enough!” Thea yelled. “In case you’ve forgotten, Darhk has Oliver’s son too! He is doing everything in his power to save everybody and this is not his fault!”

                “Alright! We need to calm down.” Dig raised his hands placatingly, “Arguing amongst ourselves is getting us nowhere. The only good thing that came out of this is that we have two of his men. The smart thing to do would be to interrogate them.”

“We can’t do it here.” Laurel pointed out, “We’re already risking ourselves being seen.”

                “We should head to STAR labs.” Thea agreed, “It’s probably the only safe place we can meet.”

Everyone nodded their assessment except for Joe and Oliver, both too consumed in their own thoughts to pay attention. Joe reached into his pocket for his keys and paused. He ruffled around his coat in a panic.

“What’s wrong?” Thea asked.

                “They’re gone.” Joe’s eyes widened, “The vials are gone!”

“What vials?” Laurel asked.

“The vials that have the serum to take Barry’s powers away!” Joe said desperately, “They were in my pocket and now they’re gone!”

                “Darhk must have taken them.” Oliver explained, “He could easily use his powers to levitate them out of your pocket when you weren’t looking.”

“So now he’s got the one thing that can incapacitate Barry.” Thea surmised, “Fantastic.”

* * *

 

Loud footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by the squeaking of wheels. Damien Darhk walked with the confidence and elation of a job well done, trailing behind him was a medical team he had on payroll pushing the Flash strapped to a gurney. He wished he could have seen the look on their faces when they realized he had tricked them. Really what did they expect? They should have learned from the last time.

His plan had worked perfectly, one the Flash was wheeled into the truck, his medical team had immediately gotten to work disguising him. They put a black cargo jacket around him along with plain black pants and socks, they also covered him with a helmet, blocking his identity from the Green Arrow. It was all too easy to put a hatch on the bottom of the truck where a team of his men were waiting to whisk the Flash away to one of the side cars that had screeched in all the chaos. The arrow team had been so focused on the truck, they paid absolutely no attention to the side cars that flanked it.

His private jet had been waiting on the neighboring Ferris Air strip, taking them all the way to Keystone City. The travel time had only taken an hour, plenty of time to make sure the speedster was sedated. While they were flying Darhk kept stealing glances at the knocked out speedster that had flown next to him, surprised by all the attention he had seen him receiving.

                “Make sure you’re careful back there.” He said, inclining his head. “My friend wants to make sure his cargo is in one piece.”

“I see your fishing expedition was a success.”

Damien turned his head to see Malcolm Merlyn standing in the middle of the hallway waiting for him.

                “Malcolm.” Damien greeted. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here so soon.”

“I just wanted to make sure things went smoothly.” Malcolm said looking behind Damien.

                A medical group on their payroll had the Flash strapped to a gurney, trailing behind Darhk’s steps. He was still out cold thanks to the vials Joe had given Barry. He patted the two in his pocket he had lifted from Joe.

                “I see it was a raging success.” Malcolm said. “Now if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like a few words with you alone.”

“Of course, of course.” Damien said, he turned to the group. “Go away, leave the Flash, we’ve got it from here.”

They did as they were told, leaving the Flash alone with two of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Once they were gone Damien walked towards the hero with Malcolm following suit. He stopped at Barry’s side, reached down and pulled the mask off, revealing Barry’s young face.

                “Huh.” Darhk said, “So this is the Flash. I always wondered how the Arrow had gotten away from me so quickly.”

He turned to Malcolm, “You were right, West’s foster son is the Flash.”

                “What reason do I have to lie to you?” Malcolm asked. “We have a common goal after all.”

“I do so appreciate the heads up.” Damien said, “Imagine my surprise when I find out that the blur which ruined my plans and so rudely interrupted my repartee with the Green Arrow is nothing more than a scrawny little CSI from Central City. Speaking of which…”

He turned to Malcolm, “Oliver Queen?”

Malcolm nodded, “He’s been donning that green vest since he got back from the Lian Yu.”

“Go figure.” Damien laughed, “So remind me again why I took this kid?”

                “Because I requested it.”

Both men turned to see Vandal Savage walking towards them. Dressed to the nines in a perfectly tailored gray suit, with a deep purple satin shirt as well as an ivory scarf. He was also wearing two-thousand-dollar penny loafers.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have you begin to see opportunities in unlikely places.” Vandal walked past the men to step right in front of Barry’s gurney. He reached out and ran his fingers through Barry’s hair. “And his boy…is a plethora of opportunity.”

                “He’s a kid who has super-speed.” Damien dismissed, “So what?”

“He can do so much more.” A vibrating voice behind them said.

Both Malcolm and Damien jumped at the unexpected voice, in the blink of an eye a tall, black looming figure, sparking blue lightning stood opposite to Vandal Savage.

                “Who the hell is this?” Malcolm demanded, tensing up preparing to grab his weapon. Damien held up his hands ready to fight.

“Calm down gentlemen,” Savage raised a placating hand. “This here is a…silent partner. He calls himself Zoom.”

                “Zoom really?” Damien scoffed. “That’s the best you could come up with?”

His answer was received by a hand wrapping itself around his throat and slamming him into a wall. Damien could have sworn he saw stars.

“This from a man who calls himself ‘Damien Darhk’?” Zoom rumbled, “You really want to see my best? Give me a reason to show you.”    

                “I believe we’ve had enough of the theatrics Mr. Zoom.” Savage interrupted, “If you would be so kind, why don’t you take Mr. Allen to his new accommodations. And do keep the speeding to a minimum, I’d rather not disrupt any of my followers.”

Zoom dropped Damien with a thud and sped over to Barry, he scooped him into his arms and ran off, although not as fast as he could have been.

“Well then, shall we move on to discuss business gentlemen?”

 

 Wally continuously banged on huge metal door of his cell. He was trapped in an 8x8 room, each surface was concrete, and the only light he was receiving was from a lantern they had given him.

                “Let me out!” he screamed. “Let me outta here!”

His voice was starting to get hoarse from all the screaming, “I know you can hear me! Let me out of here!”

The door suddenly flew open, causing Wally to stumble backwards and fall down. When he looked up, it was as if he was staring at the devil himself. The figure in the doorway was tall, imposing and sparking with electricity. Wally couldn’t help but feel afraid, he had been so caught up in his fear, he barely acknowledged the bundle in his arms. Without a word of so much as a glance, he dropped the bundle unceremoniously on the floor and walked right out, slamming the door in place.

Once he had left, Wally seemed to get his senses back and looked to the person who had fallen to his cell, he could scarcely believe it.

It was the Flash, he would recognize that suit anywhere, but that wasn’t what caught his breath, it was the person who was behind the mask.

“Barry?”

* * *

 

“You did what now?” Cisco asked.

Joe and the Arrow team had rendezvoused at STAR labs where they had called Cisco and Caitlin and asked them to meet there. Harry and Jessie were with them as well as Iris.

                “Damien Darhk took my son.” Oliver explained, “At first we thought he wanted to have me drop out of the race. I do that, I get my son back. But then he changed the deal.”

“He took Wally.” Joe inputted, “He called me this morning, and told me that if I didn’t do what he said, he was going to kill him. He told us...he said he wanted the Flash and I told him yes. He said that I had to bring him to him by tonight or Wally was going to die. He forbade me from having any contact with anybody besides Oliver and Iris, he had bugs in my house and he said that he had eyes wherever I went. I couldn’t risk it being a bluff, so I did what he said.”

“Wait a minute you’re saying that you didn’t even tell Barry, that he didn’t know?” Caitlin said, her voice getting slightly shrill.

                “You’re kidding me right?” Cisco asked, a nervous smile falling to his lips, “This is a joke isn’t it? Tell me you didn’t actually make a deal like that, that Barry’s just hiding somewhere waiting to pop out and scare us.”

The deafening silence was answer enough.

                “Let me get this straight.” Cisco said, in an all-too-calm tone, “You’re telling me that you not only agreed to gamble with Barry’s life, but you didn’t tell him? That you actually went behind his back and took the word of a murderous sociopath and deliberately betrayed a person who you’ve known and raised for fifteen years?”

There was nothing Joe could say to that and he looked at Cisco directly in his eyes and answered with the heaviest voice, “Yes.”

Joe didn’t even see it coming. One minute he was standing face to face with Cisco, the next he was on the ground holding his nose. He was pretty sure it was broken, he looked back up to see a look on Cisco’s face, that he didn’t even think he was capable of making.

“You rat-faced, lying son of a bitch.” He hissed, “You sold out your son, your actual son, for a person you’d never even met yet!”

“How did you even-” Caitlin paused and looked at Iris. “That time…when you came earlier, you didn’t come to check on me…you were here to steal the vials we had developed didn’t you?”

Iris’s eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked down in shame, “Yes.”

“We already lost Jay, and now you were willing to endanger Barry?” Caitlin asked. “Now he’s in the hands of a madman.”

“He had my son Caitlin.” Joe pleaded. “What was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to trust Barry!” Caitlin shook her head, “I can’t…I can’t even look at you right now.”

She walked away, not even passing anyone else a look.

The entire time the conversations were happening, Harry remained silent, looking back and forth between groups.

“Well Detective.” Harry said, “It seems even someone as righteous as you is capable of committing dark acts. Not even I would sacrifice one of my own children for another.”

“Now is not the time for your sarcastic smart-ass mouth Harry.” Cisco gritted. “Was he wearing the suit?”

“Yes.” Oliver said, “That’s why we came here to see if you could track him down.”

Cisco walked to the monitors pressing a few buttons, “I can’t find a signal. It’s gone.”

“What does that mean?” Laurel asked.

“It means,” Cisco said, “That they probably found all three trackers from his suit and destroyed them.”

“Isn’t there any other way you can find him?” Thea asked.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Cisco asked, “Plant a tracker under his skin?”

“That probably would’ve been the smart thing to do.” Oliver said.

“Do not plant your guilt on me!” Cisco shouted, “Barry is in danger! He could be dead for all we know and that’s on you!”

“We know Cisco,” Dig said, “We know what we’ve done.”

“I don’t think you do!” Cisco’s patience had just run out. “You guys took advantage of Barry’s trust and his good nature and you thought that if you had saved him before he was taken he would’ve forgiven you for not trusting him enough to help you.”

“We couldn’t-

“Take a chance on your son’s life, but you could take a chance on Barry’s.” Cisco said. “You know what just get out, Caitlin was right, I can’t even look at you right now!”

“Cisco,” Laurel pleaded, “Let us help you.”

“You guys have done enough!” Cisco said, “Get out!”

Barry’s head was pounding, that’s the first thing he registered. When he opened his eyes his vision was blurred, he could hear a voice next to him, but he couldn’t make out who it was. He could feel the cold concrete beneath him, he opened his eyes and felt a jolt when he saw Wally’s face above him.

                “Wally?”

“You’re the Flash.” Wally said, “Holy crap you’re the Flash.”

Barry’s brow furrowed in confusion, then he looked down and realized that he was wearing the Flash suit, without his cowl on.

                “What the hell?” he whispered to himself, then turned to Wally.

“What’s going on?” Barry looked around and saw nothing but concrete surrounding them. They were in a cell.

                “You’re the Flash.” Wally kept repeating, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

It was then that Barry noticed the white peeking out from Wally’s shirt, he got closer to examine it.

“Wally what happened to you?” he asked, pulling his shirt aside to see the thick bandage wrapped around his shoulder.

Wally’s posture was a little more subdued at Barry’s question. “I don’t know what’s going on. One minute I’m heading towards my job in Keystone and the next these huge dudes are grabbing me and tossing me in a van. They kept a bag over my head so I wouldn’t see anything, I tried fighting back but they were too strong. We drove around for about twenty minutes then they dragged me out and tied me to a chair. They finally took off the bag and this dude told me I was going to help him. Then he called Joe.”

“What happened to your shoulder?” Barry pressed.

                “He shot me.” Wally’s fear was starting to creep into his voice, “He told Joe that if he didn’t do what he asked, he’d kill me.”

“Who?” Barry asked.

“He said his name was Damien Darhk.”

Barry’s eyes widened, recognizing the name instantly. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“He said…he said he wanted the Flash.” Wally answered.

“What?” Barry wasn’t sure he heard right.

                “He called Joe and told him he wanted the Flash.” Wally repeated, hating what he had to admit.

Barry had to have heard wrong, Joe wouldn’t do that. He would have told Barry; he would have come to him. Before Barry could ask anymore the door sprang open.

Zoom stood in the doorway in all his black and sparking glory.

“Come with me.” He ordered.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Guys! This is my first time posting on A03 and I'm super-excited to be here! I'm really excited about this story and I can't wait to see where this goes! I hope you all like it.
> 
> I have an idea of where I want this story to go, but I'm open to suggestions. As far as the Barry Allen/Leonard Snart tag goes, I've always loved their dynamic. Frankly it's the only reason I ever showed up on this site. Right now it will be platonic, but who knows it might become more! 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!


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